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Shallow lake restoration and water quality management by the combined effects of polyaluminium chloride addition and benthivorous fish removal: a field mesocosm experiment

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Abstract

Polyaluminium chloride (PAC) has been used in lake restoration and water quality management as a flocculent to remove algal biomass and organic matter from the water column and increase water transparency. However, benthivorous fish may suspend the sedimented flocs and reduce the efficiency of PAC in improving water quality. Therefore, we hypothesized that PAC is more efficient in reducing algal biomass, suspended solids and total phosphorus concentrations in the water, and increasing water transparency, when benthivorous fish is removed. To test this hypothesis, we performed a field experiment combining the presence and absence of PAC (2 mg Al l−1) with the presence and absence of benthivorous fish (350 g m−2). Contrary to our hypothesis, no significant interactions were found between the effects of PAC addition and benthivorous fish removal on the measured variables. Both techniques significantly decreased chlorophyll a and phosphorus concentrations and increased water transparency, but their effects were independent of each other. The above results suggest that either of the treatments may improve water quality, but this goal would be better achieved by the combination of both techniques than by the application of one or other technique in isolation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Maria Marcolina L. Cardoso, Pablo Rubim, Mariana R. A. Costa, Bárbara Bezerra, Caroline G. B. de Moura, Leonardo Teixeira e Alexander Ferreira for field and laboratory assistance. We would like to thank Kemal A. Ger for helping us in the English language review. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions to improve the manuscript. Funding was given by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) through the Project 562676/2010-4. Fabiana Araújo was supported by a fellowship from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

    Fabiana Araújo, Vanessa Becker & José Luiz Attayde

  2. Laboratório de Recursos Hídricos e Saneamento Ambiental (LARHISA), Centro de Tecnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

    Vanessa Becker

  3. Departamento de Ecologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

    José Luiz Attayde

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  1. Fabiana Araújo
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Correspondence to Fabiana Araújo.

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Guest editors: M. Beklioğlu, M. Meerhoff, T. A. Davidson, K. A. Ger, K. E. Havens & B. Moss / Shallow Lakes in a Fast Changing World

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Araújo, F., Becker, V. & Attayde, J.L. Shallow lake restoration and water quality management by the combined effects of polyaluminium chloride addition and benthivorous fish removal: a field mesocosm experiment. Hydrobiologia 778, 243–252 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2606-5

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